Method of testing a head for contamination

- WD Media, LLC

A method of testing a head for contamination includes detecting a first touchdown power of the head, the head having a flying height actuator; calculating a back-off power for the head using an estimated relationship between back-off power and touchdown power; determining an operating power that is equal to the detected first touchdown power minus the calculated back-off power; passing the head over a magnetic media one or more times while applying the determined operating power to the flying height actuator; detecting a second touchdown power after passing the head over the magnetic media; and determining whether contamination on the head exceeds a threshold amount based on the detected second touchdown power.

Skip to: Description  ·  Claims  ·  References Cited  · Patent History  ·  Patent History
Description
BACKGROUND

Information storage devices are used to retrieve and/or store data in computers and other consumer electronics devices. A magnetic hard disk drive is an example of an information storage device that includes one or more heads that can both read and write, but other information storage devices also include heads—sometimes including heads that cannot write.

In a magnetic hard disk drive, the head comprises a body called a “slider” that carries a magnetic transducer on its trailing end. The magnetic transducer comprises a writer and a read element. The magnetic transducer's writer may be of a longitudinal or perpendicular design, and the read element of the magnetic transducer may be inductive or magnetoresistive. In a magnetic hard disk drive, the transducer is supported in proximity to the magnetic disk by a hydrodynamic air bearing. As the motor rotates the magnetic disk, the hydrodynamic air bearing is formed between an air bearing surface of the slider of the head, and a surface of the magnetic disk. The thickness of the air bearing at the location of the transducer is commonly referred to as “flying height.”

Magnetic hard disk drives are not the only type of information storage devices that have utilized air bearing sliders. For example, air bearing sliders have also been used in optical information storage devices to position a mirror and an objective lens for focusing laser light on the surface of disk media that is not necessarily magnetic.

The flying height is a parameter that affects the performance of an information storage device. Accordingly, the nominal flying height is typically chosen as a careful compromise between each extreme in a classic engineering “trade-off.” If the flying height is too high, the ability of the transducer to write and/or read information to/from the disk surface is degraded. Therefore, reductions in flying height can facilitate desirable increases in the areal density of data stored on a disk surface. However, the air bearing between the slider and the disk surface cannot be eliminated entirely because the air bearing serves to reduce friction and wear (between the slider and the disk surface) to an acceptable level. Excessive reduction in the nominal flying height degrades the tribological performance of the disk drive to the point where the disk drive's lifetime and reliability become unacceptable.

One way that a disk drive designer can improve the prospects of reaching an acceptable compromise in the “trade-off” described above, is to increase the complexity of the disk drive so as to dynamically control flying height. That is, additional head components and/or disk drive components that can function as a flying height actuator are included and actively controlled so that the flying height can be temporarily reduced only while the head is reading or writing. When the head is not reading or writing, it can “fly” at a slightly-higher nominal flying height to improve tribological performance. Such active control of flying height is sometimes referred to as “dynamic flying height” control (a.k.a. “DFH”).

The magnetic disk, mentioned above, includes various layers deposited during the manufacturing process. Generally, the disk includes a thin film magnetic layer and a protective carbon-based overcoat. The layers of the disk and process steps for manufacturing the disk are known in the art. During the disk manufacturing process it is possible for metal contamination to occur in the carbon overcoat. It has been found that when operating a hard drive having a contaminated disk, the head will pick up (i.e., become contaminated) with the metal particles resulting in reduced performance.

Thus, there is a need in the art for a method for testing a head for contamination when operating with a magnetic disk.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various aspects of the present invention will now be presented in the detailed description by way of example, and not by way of limitation, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is top conceptual view of an exemplary embodiment of a track seeking/track following actuator with an attached head gimbal assembly, positioned over a spinning disk in a disk drive.

FIG. 2 is a side-view of an exemplary embodiment of a head in operation over a spinning disk.

FIG. 3 is cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of a magnetic transducer of a head including three alternative exemplary embodiments of a head-based flying height actuator capable of use with the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a magnetic transducer of a head having three alternative exemplary embodiments of a head-based flying height actuator.

FIG. 5 is flow chart of an exemplary embodiment of a method of testing a head for contamination.

 DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of various exemplary embodiments of the present invention and is not intended to represent the only embodiments in which the present invention may be practiced. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of the present invention. Acronyms and other descriptive terminology may be used merely for convenience and clarity and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

The various aspects of the present invention illustrated in the drawings may not be drawn to scale. Rather, the dimensions of the various features may be expanded or reduced for clarity. In addition, some of the drawings may be simplified for clarity. Thus, the drawings may not depict all of the components of a given apparatus or method.

The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any embodiment described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. Likewise, the term “embodiment” of an apparatus, method or article of manufacture does not require that all embodiments of the invention include the described components, structure, features, functionality, processes, advantages, benefits, or modes of operation.

Any reference to an element herein using a designation such as “first,” “second,” and so forth does not generally limit the quantity or order of those elements. Rather, these designations are used herein as a convenient method of distinguishing between two or more elements or instances of an element. Thus, a reference to first and second elements does not mean that only two elements can be employed, or that the first element must precede the second element.

As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” and/or “including,” when used herein, specify the presence of the stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

In the following detailed description, various aspects of the present invention will be presented in the context of testing a read/write head for contamination when operating with a magnetic disk for use in a hard disk drive (HDD). However, those skilled in the art will realize that these aspects may be extended to any suitable application where contamination pickup occurs when operating a head over various types of disks in other contexts. Accordingly, any reference to a magnetic disk or a HDD is intended only to illustrate the various aspects of the present invention, with the understanding that such aspects may have a wide range of applications.

Aspects of a method of testing a head for contamination includes detecting a first touchdown power of the head, the head having a flying height actuator; calculating a back-off power for the head using an estimated relationship between back-off power and touchdown power; determining an operating power that is equal to the detected first touchdown power minus the calculated back-off power; passing the head over a magnetic media one or more times while applying the determined operating power to the flying height actuator; detecting a second touchdown power after passing the head over the magnetic media; and determining whether contamination on the head exceeds a threshold amount based on the detected second touchdown power.

Others aspects of a method of testing a head for contamination includes detecting an initial touchdown power of the head, the head having a flying height actuator; calculating a back-off power for the head using an estimated relationship between back-off power and touchdown power; applying an operating power to the flying height actuator that is equal to the detected initial touchdown power minus the calculated back-off power; passing the head over a magnetic media a plurality of times while applying the operating power to the head; detecting a subsequent touchdown power after each passing of the head over the magnetic media, thereby obtaining a plurality of subsequent touchdown powers; and determining whether contamination on the head exceeds a threshold amount based on at least one of the subsequent touchdown powers.

Other aspects of a method of testing a head for contamination include detecting a first touchdown power of the head at a plurality of discrete points along a radius of the magnetic media, the head having a flying height actuator; calculating a back-off power for the head for each of the plurality of discrete points using an estimated relationship between back-off power and touchdown power; determining an operating power for each of the plurality of discrete points, wherein the operating power for each of the plurality of discrete points is equal to the detected first touchdown power of a particular point minus a corresponding calculated back-off power for the particular point; passing the head over a magnetic media one or more times while applying the determined operating power to the flying height actuator for each of the plurality of discrete points; detecting a second touchdown power for each of the plurality of discrete points after passing the head over the magnetic media; and determining whether contamination on the head exceeds a threshold amount based on the detected second touchdown power for at least one of the discrete points.

It should be understood that other aspects of apparatuses and methods will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, wherein various aspects of apparatuses and methods are shown and described by way of illustration. As will be realized, these aspects may be implemented in other and different forms and its several details are capable of modification in various other respects. Accordingly, the drawings and detailed description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive

A hard disk drive generally includes a head disk assembly (HDA) and a printed circuit board (PCB) attached to a disk drive base of the HDA. FIG. 1 illustrates exemplary embodiment of a head disk assembly. Referring now to FIG. 1, the head disk assembly 10 includes at least one disk 11 (such as a magnetic disk, magneto-optical disk, or optical disk), and a track seeking/track following actuator 12, and at least one head gimbal assembly (HGA) that includes a head 14 and a suspension assembly 13. During operation of the disk drive, the track seeking/track following actuator 12 must rotate to position the head 14 adjacent desired information tracks on the disk 11. An arrow on disk 11 indicates the direction of disk rotation in FIG. 1. Track seeking/track following actuator 12 is typically a rotary actuator driven by a voice coil motor. The disk 11 includes a conventional information storage media (e.g. hard magnetic layer protected by a thin overcoat layer and supported by a substrate and various underlayers).

FIG. 2 is a side-view of a head 14 in operation over a spinning disk 11, the head 14 being capable of use with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is not to scale; rather, certain dimensions have been exaggerated so that the microscopic transducer-disk spacing 18 and slight pitch angle of air bearing surface (ABS) 19 can be discerned. The slider of head 14 includes a trailing face 16 on which a magnetic transducer 17 is fabricated by conventional photolithographic and vacuum deposition and etching techniques. The transducer 17 of head 14 can be positioned towards or away from the disk 11 relative to ABS 19 by a head-based flying height actuator, which may be included within transducer 17, so that the transducer-disk spacing 18 can be adjusted.

FIG. 3 is cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of a magnetic transducer shown to include three alternative exemplary embodiments of a head-based flying height actuator. FIG. 3 is not to scale; rather, certain dimensions have been exaggerated so that each of the sub-components of the magnetic transducer can be labeled. The magnetic transducer of FIG. 3 comprises a layered structure formed on the trailing-side surface of a slider 20. Slider 20 may comprise AlTiC (Al2O3—TiC). The magnetic transducer is constructed by depositing and etching various layers on the slider 20 and comprises the magnetically active parts of the slider.

The reader layers of the magnetic transducer of FIG. 3 include an undercoat 21 consisting of a nonmagnetic material such as alumina (Al2O3); a lower (S1) magnetic shield layer 22 consisting of a soft magnetic material (e.g., NiFe, FeN, CoFe, etc.); a conventional magnetoresistive (MR) element 23 embedded in a nonmagnetic material layer 33; and an upper (S2) magnetic shield layer 24 consisting of a soft magnetic material. The nonmagnetic material layer 33 disposed between layers 22 & 24 and around MR element 23 may comprise aluminum nitride (AlN), aluminum nitrate (AlNO3), or alumina. Information magnetically recorded in the media can be reproduced by detecting changes in the electrical resistance of MR element 23, which occur in response to remnant magnetic fields from a nearby disk media.

The writer layers of the magnetic transducer of FIG. 3 include a first magnetic pole layer 26 consisting of a soft magnetic material; a gap layer 27 comprising a nonmagnetic material 35 (e.g., alumina) that also surrounds the first and second turn layers (C1 & C2) of a coil 30, and is also used in separation layer 25; a second magnetic pole layer 28; and a third magnetic pole layer 29. The second and third magnetic pole layers 28 & 29 typically comprise a soft magnetic material and are connected together. One section of pole layer 26 is also connected to a section of pole layer 28. Alternatively, first pole layer 26 and upper shield layer 24 may be formed as a single integral layer, rather than as the two layers separated by nonmagnetic layer 25.

Collectively, the first, second, and third pole layers comprise the yoke portion 32 of the magnetic transducer. In the magnetic transducer shown in FIG. 3, coil 30 has a first layer of turns C1 and a second layer of turns C2 which pass through the yoke portion 32 of the magnetic transducer (i.e. the portion nearest the trailing edge of ABS 19 between pole layers 26 & 29). The turns of coil 30 also pass outside of the yoke portion in a region 31 that is farther from the trailing edge of ABS 19. A magnetic field can be generated across gap layer 27 by application of current to coil 30 to record information on a nearby magnetic disk media (not shown in FIG. 3).

An overcoat layer (not shown), consisting of a nonmagnetic material, typically covers the entire thin-film transducer. Also, a diamond-like carbon (DLC) material may also be applied to the magnetic transducer to protectively cover the pole tips and/or to enhance tribological performance by covering portions of ABS 19.

A resistive heating element 40 may be integrated into the thin-film transducer to cause protrusion of the pole tips of layers 26, 28 and 29. Resistive heating element 40 serves as a head-based flying height actuator because temporary application of power to the resistive heating element 40 causes a temporary expansion of at least the tips of poles 26, 28, and 29, such that the head-disk spacing at the location of the magnetic transducer is temporarily reduced. Alternatively, a resistive heating element in the position labeled 41, or in the position labeled 42, may serve as the head-based flying height actuator, the position being chosen to cause thermal pole tip protrusion, preferably with limited temperature rise in the magnetoresistive (MR) reading element 23.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a read/write transducer of a head shown to include three alternative exemplary embodiments of a head-based flying height actuator capable of use with the present invention (not necessarily to scale). Number labels in FIG. 4 accord with those used for the same or similar components shown in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 4, resistive heating element 40 may have a generally annular shape, e.g., like a horseshoe, having a middle portion passing through the yoke, and having first and second arms that extend away from ABS 19. In another embodiment (not shown), a plurality of heating elements may be implemented. For example, in an exemplary embodiment, the head may include a first resistive heating element closer to the read head than the write head and a second resistive heating element closer to the write head than the read head. These separate resistive heating elements may be independently operated to optimize the control over the flying height of the head. Coil connection 50 extends in a direction approximately parallel to ABS 19 and electrically connects coil 30 with a pair of terminal bond pads 51 of the C1 layer. Coil connection 50 is disposed in the same general plane as the C1 coil layer. Alternatively, resistive heating element 41 (or 42) may be located farther away from ABS 19. For example, the portion of heating element 41 nearest the air-bearing surface may be disposed 20 μm to 60 μm from ABS 19.

Turning to FIG. 5, a method 500 of testing a head for contamination will now be described. Prior to starting the method, a head gimbal assembly and disk are loaded onto a testing apparatus. The testing apparatus may be any apparatus capable of sweeping the head at a dynamic fly height across a spinning magnetic disk, as well as measuring the “touchdown power” of the head. In some exemplary embodiments, the testing method is applied on a read/write transducer head in an operating Hard Disk Drive (HDD). The touchdown power of the head is the amount of electrical power, that, when applied to the head-based flying height actuator, causes the head to contact the disk. More specifically, touchdown is defined to occur when the transducer-disk spacing is reduced to the point where the head is in intermittent contact with a corresponding disk. The power applied to the head-based flying height actuator when touchdown occurs is thus defined to be the touchdown power.

Reference is made throughout this disclosure to measuring touchdown power. Any suitable known method of measuring touchdown power may be used. For example, touchdown power may be detected through disk slow down, readout channel noise, strain gauges, PES variations, and/or acoustic emission. Example methods of measuring touchdown power are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,436,620; 7,489,466; 7,796,356; 7,800,858; 8,139,310; 8,279,550; and 8,665,546, each of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein. Multiple methods may also be used simultaneously to ensure accurate results.

Once the head gimbal assembly and disk are loaded onto the testing apparatus, the method may begin with step 502 where the touchdown power of the head from the inner diameter (ID) to the outer diameter (OD) of the disk is measured. Measuring the touchdown power may include measuring the touchdown power at a plurality of radii of the disk. For example, in one exemplary embodiment the touchdown power may be measured along nine different radii of the disk. As used herein, in an exemplary embodiment, “different radii” mean different distances from the ID in a radial direction. For example, a 3.5 inch disk (i.e., a disk having a 3.5 inch diameter) would have a 1.75 inch radius. One radius of the plurality of radii may be at 0.5 inches from the ID in a radial direction, while another radius of the plurality of radii make be at 1.0 inches from the ID in a radial direction. The plurality of radii may be selected such there is an equal distance between measurements. For example, in the exemplary embodiment where the touchdown power is measured across nine radii, the measurement may be taken at about every 0.194 inches along the radius of the disk for a 3.5 inch disk (having 1.74 inch radius). Thus, after completing step 502, the touchdown power of the head for at least one radius, more preferably a plurality of radii is obtained. As mentioned above, the touchdown power may be measured according to any suitable method known in the art.

The method may then proceed to step 504 where a “back-off power” is obtained from an actuation curve. The back-off power is the amount of power that, when subtracted from the touchdown power, will cause the head to optimally fly just above the surface of the disk. In other words, because the touchdown power would cause the head to contact the disk, if the touchdown power minus the back-off power is applied to the head-based flying height actuator, the head will fly just above the surface of the disk (e.g., within 1 nm). As discussed above, in an exemplary embodiment the head-based flying height actuator may include a resistive heating element or a plurality of heat resistive elements. Any method known in the art for preparing the actuation curve and using the actuation curve to determine the back-off power may be used in step 504. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,436,620 describes a method of determining a unique back-off power for a particular head. That is, just as the touchdown power is unique for a particular head, the back-off power is also unique to a particular head. For example, parameters of the head design that determine the relationship between back-off power and touchdown power include air bearing design, transducer design, materials and sensitivity, and fly height actuator stroke and gain. The temperature and humidity in which the head operates can also impact the relationship. Following the method described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,436,620 the relationship between back-off power and touchdown power (i.e., the actuation curve) is established. The relationship can be treated as approximately linear, characterized by a slope and a y-intercept, the slope and the y-intercept being chosen to minimize a sum of squared discrepancies between the back-off powers determined for the head, and corresponding back-off powers predicted by the linear relationship for the head. The actuation curve for a particular head or population of heads may be established independently of method 500. In other words, when performing step 504, the actuation curve preferably has already been established for the head being tested in accordance with any suitable method known in the art (e.g., the method of U.S. Pat. No. 7,436,620).

As noted above, the touchdown power may be determined in step 502 for a plurality of radii from ID to OD. The determined touchdown power may have a different value at different radii. Accordingly, the actuation curve may be used to establish the back-off power for each individual radius for which the touchdown power has been determined.

Once the back-off power has been determined, the method may proceed to step 506 where the flying height power (also referred herein as “operating power”) is set. The flying height power is the power that, when applied to the head-based flying height actuator, allows the head to fly over the disk optimally. Thus, the flying height power is equal to the touchdown power determined in step 502 minus the back-off power obtained in step 504. The flying height power is also known as the dynamic flying height power because the flying height actuator can be actively controlled to apply or remove the flying height power as necessary during operation of the drive. For example, when the head is reading or writing, it is desirable for the head to be at the optimum height and thus the flying height power should be applied to the flying height actuator during reading and writing. However, when the head is not reading or writing it is suitable for the head to fly at a relatively higher elevation than during the reading and writing. Thus, the flying height power generally need only be applied to the flying height actuator during reading or writing during operation of the hard disk drive. For purposes of method 500, the flying height power is applied from ID to OD to simulate the reading and writing height that occurs during operation of the manufactured HDD.

As noted above, the back-off power may be determined in step 504 for a plurality of radii from ID to OD because the determined touchdown power may be different for each radius. Accordingly, step 506 may include setting the flying height power for each radius of the plurality of radii. For example when the back-off power is determined for nine separate radii, step 506 may include setting the flying height power for each radius of the nine radii. Thus, the amount of power necessary to obtain the desired flying height across from ID to OD may change as the head moves across the disk.

After setting the flying height power in step 506, the method my optionally proceed to step 508 where the testing temperature and/or humidity conditions are set, if necessary. As noted above, two of the factors that may impact the actuation curve used in step 504 are temperature and humidity. If the obtained actuation curve was based on a particular temperature and/or humidity, such as a predicted disk drive operating temperature, then it would may be desirable to bring the testing apparatus to the same temperature and/humidity (generally elevated temperature and/or elevated humidity as compared to ambient conditions). The testing apparatus may be located in a chamber that can be heated to the desired temperature and raised to the desired humidity. Step 508 is not necessary when the testing conditions are ambient temperature and ambient humidity, in which case step 508 can be skipped.

Once the temperature and/or humidity of the chamber have reached the target temperature and/or target humidity, or if increasing the temperature and/or humidity is not necessary, the method will proceed to step 510. In step 510 the head is passed over the entire surface of the disk from ID to OD and then back to ID (or from OD to ID and back to OD). Traveling from ID to OD and back to ID (or OD to ID and back to OD) is considered one cycle. As the flying height power was set in step 506, the flying height power is applied to the flying height actuator during the cycle. When a plurality of flying height powers have been set (i.e., when a distinct flying height power has been set for each radius of a plurality of radii), the control system will apply the appropriate flying height power to the flying height actuator as the head passes over the corresponding radius. For example, when nine flying height powers have been set for nine radii, the flying height power applied will change at each of the nine radii as the head travels from OD to ID and back to OD.

In one exemplary embodiment, prior to passing the head over the disk for the first cycle, the method may include measuring the touchdown power of the head. As discussed above, any suitable method of measuring touchdown power may be used. Preferably, the chosen method of measuring touchdown power should remain consistent. Because the head has yet to pass over the disk the touchdown power measured prior to the first cycle should be the same as the touchdown power measured in step 502. Thus, the optional touchdown power measurement prior to the first cycle may serve as an error control step. If the measured touchdown power has changed significantly from the first measurement, then the operator knows that an error has occurred. If an error has occurred, then the operator may start the method over and/or inspect the instruments. If no error has occurred, or if this step is skipped, the method may proceed to perform step 510 and pass the head over the disk for one cycle using the set flying height power from step 506.

After passing the head over the disk for one cycle, the method may then proceed to step 512. At step 512, the touchdown power for the head is again measured. As discussed above, any suitable method of measuring touchdown power may be used. Preferably, the chosen method of measuring touchdown power should remain consistent. When the flying height power has been set for a plurality of radii, step 512 would include measuring the touchdown power for each of the same radii.

After measuring the touchdown power of the head following the first cycle, in one exemplary embodiment, the method may proceed to repeat steps 510 and 512 for a plurality of cycles. That is, the method may return to step 510 where the head may once again pass over the disk from ID to OD and back to ID (or OD to ID and back to OD) at the set flying height power set in step 506. Then, the method may again proceed to step 512 where the touchdown power is determined following the second pass over the disk. The two steps of passing the head over the disk for a complete cycle and then determining the touchdown power after the passing of the head over the disk may be repeated as many times as necessary to satisfactorily determine whether the head has been contaminated beyond a threshold amount. Whether the contamination has exceeded the threshold amount is discussed in more detail below. In one exemplary embodiment the total number of times that steps 510 and 512 may be performed is at least two times and up to 12 times. In another exemplary embodiment the total number of times steps 510 and 512 may be performed is at least three times and up to 10 times. In another exemplary embodiment the total number of times that steps 510 and 512 may be performed is three times. In an exemplary embodiment the frequency of the passing of the head over the disk may be one complete cycle (i.e., ID to OD and back to ID) in on hour. Throughout all of the cycles the set flying height power remains the same. When multiple cycles are performed the touchdown power may be measured for each of the plurality of radii after each cycle.

After steps 510 and 512 have been performed or repeated for the desired number of times, the method may proceed to step 514 where a change in touchdown power is calculated by comparing the highest measured touchdown power with the lowest measured touchdown power. This difference is referred herein as the touchdown power delta. For example, in an exemplary embodiment where the touchdown power has been measured for a single point along the radius of the disk, and if only one cycle has been performed, then the only data collected is the touchdown power prior to the first cycle and a the touchdown power after the first cycle. Thus, in this example case, the touchdown power cycle is the post-cycle touchdown power subtracted from the initial touchdown power delta. If multiple cycles have been performed, then the lowest measured touchdown power over all cycles is subtracted from the highest measured touchdown value. Because more contamination on the head requires less power to touchdown, the highest touchdown power is generally the touchdown power detected prior to the first cycle of passing the head over the disk. In an exemplary embodiment where the touchdown power is measured for a plurality of radii (e.g., nine radii), the touchdown power delta is calculated for each individual radius. For example, if three cycles are performed and the touchdown power is measured for nine radii after each cycle, the lowest touchdown power measured across all cycles for the first radius is subtracted from the highest touchdown power measured across all cycles for the same first radius, thus arriving at a touchdown power delta for the first radius. Similarly, the touchdown power delta for the second radius is calculate by subtracting the lowest measured touchdown power across all cycles for the second radius from the highest measured touchdown power across all cycles for the second radius. The same approach is performed for all of the plurality of radii (e.g., nine touchdown deltas are calculated when nine radii are used).

After the touchdown delta is calculated, or the plurality of touchdown deltas (one for each radius) are calculated, the method proceeds to step 516, where the touchdown delta is compared to a threshold value that corresponds to contamination on the head. Specifically, because less power is required for touchdown when the head is contaminated, it can be determined what touchdown delta value, once exceeded, indicates that the amount of contamination on the head has passed an acceptable level. Thus, if the measured touchdown delta is above a threshold value, it can be determined that there is an unacceptable level of contamination on the head. In one exemplary embodiment, the threshold delta value may be 10 mW or greater. As used herein “about” means within accepted operating tolerances. Thus, in the exemplary embodiment where a single delta touchdown power is calculated for a single radius, if the calculated touchdown power delta is greater than the threshold touchdown power delta (e.g., 10 mW is selected as the threshold value and the touchdown power delta is greater than 10 mW), then it is determined that the contamination on the head exceeds an acceptable amount. In the exemplary embodiment where a plurality of touchdown power deltas have been calculated (e.g., for a plurality of radii), if any single touchdown power delta of the plurality of touchdown power deltas exceeds the threshold amount (e.g., 10 mW is selected for the threshold value and one of the touchdown power deltas are above 10 mW), then it is determined that that the amount of contamination on the head exceeds an unacceptable level. It should be understood that the threshold touchdown power delta value may be chosen based upon the particular requirements of the particular application. For example, more contamination may be acceptable for certain products while less contamination is needed for other products. Thus, a less stringent (using a higher value for the threshold power delta) or more stringent threshold (using a lower value for the threshold value delta) may be chosen. Furthermore, when multiple touchdown power deltas are calculated for multiple radii, a less stringent test may be used in which only certain radii must not exceed the threshold or a certain number of radii must exceed the threshold before the contamination is deemed unacceptable.

In addition to comparing the touchdown power deltas to the touchdown power delta threshold, the method may optionally include a step of imaging the head to visually determine whether the contamination level is unacceptable. This may be performed using a scanning electron microscope. The image obtained may then be visually inspected either by a human or a machine to determine whether the amount of contamination is unacceptable. The method may also include identifying the composition of the contamination. This may be performed by using Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (TOF-SIMS). However, it should be understood that these additional steps of visual inspection and composition identification are not necessary and may be performed as a secondary check to verify the accuracy of the test.

If it is determined in step 516 that the amount on contamination on the head does indeed exceed an acceptable amount, then it can be concluded that the particular disk being tested has a flaw. That is, the test has shown that the disk being tested imparts an unacceptable level of contamination (e.g., metallic particles) onto the head during operation. The disk manufacturing process may then be modified until the disks produced no longer fail the contamination test. By obtaining this information prior to forming the final hard drive, significant time and cost is saved in the hard disk drive manufacturing process.

The various aspects of this disclosure are provided to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to practice the present invention. Various modifications to exemplary embodiments presented throughout this disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the concepts disclosed herein may be extended to other devices. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the various aspects of this disclosure, but are to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language of the claims. All structural and functional equivalents to the various components of the exemplary embodiments described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. §112(f) unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for” or, in the case of a method claim, the element is recited using the phrase “step for.”

Claims

1. A method of testing a head for contamination, the method comprising:

detecting a first touchdown power of the head, the head having a flying height actuator;
calculating a back-off power for the head using an estimated relationship between back-off power and touchdown power;
determining an operating power that is equal to the detected first touchdown power minus the calculated back-off power;
passing the head over a magnetic media one or more times while applying the determined operating power to the flying height actuator;
detecting a second touchdown power after passing the head over the magnetic media; and
determining whether contamination on the head exceeds a threshold amount based on the detected second touchdown power.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising calculating a difference between the first detected touchdown power and the second detected touchdown power, wherein the determining of whether contamination on the head exceeds a threshold amount is based on the calculated difference.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the determining of whether contamination on the head exceeds a threshold amount comprises comparing the calculated difference to a threshold touchdown power.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the comparing of the calculated difference with the threshold touchdown power further comprises determining whether the calculated difference is greater than the threshold touchdown power.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the threshold touchdown power is about 10 mW or greater.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein passing of the head over the magnetic media comprises moving the head from the inner diameter to the outer diameter and back to the inner diameter.

7. A method of testing a head for contamination, the method comprising:

detecting an initial touchdown power of the head, the head having a flying height actuator;
calculating a back-off power for the head using an estimated relationship between back-off power and touchdown power;
applying an operating power to the flying height actuator that is equal to the detected initial touchdown power minus the calculated back-off power;
passing the head over a magnetic media a plurality of times while applying the operating power to the head;
detecting a subsequent touchdown power after each passing of the head over the magnetic media, thereby obtaining a plurality of subsequent touchdown powers; and
determining whether contamination on the head exceeds a threshold amount based on at least one of the subsequent touchdown powers.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the plurality of times comprises 10 to 12 times.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the plurality of times comprises 2 to 4 times.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein each passing of the head over the magnetic media comprises moving the head from the inner diameter to the outer diameter and back to the inner diameter.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising calculating a difference between the initial detected touchdown power and each of the subsequent detected touchdown power, wherein the determining of whether contamination on the head exceeds a threshold amount is based on at least one of the calculated differences.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the determining of whether contamination on the head exceeds a threshold amount is based on the calculated difference having the highest value of the calculated differences.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the determining of whether contamination on the head exceeds a threshold amount comprises comparing the at least one of the calculated differences to a threshold touchdown power.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the comparing of the at least one of the calculated differences with the threshold touchdown power further comprises determining whether the at least one of the calculated differences is greater than the threshold touchdown power.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the threshold touchdown power is about 10 mW or greater.

16. A method of testing a head for contamination, the method comprising:

detecting a first touchdown power of the head at a plurality of discrete points along a radius of the magnetic media, the head having a flying height actuator;
calculating a back-off power for the head for each of the plurality of discrete points using an estimated relationship between back-off power and touchdown power;
determining an operating power for each of the plurality of discrete points, wherein the operating power for each of the plurality of discrete points is equal to the detected first touchdown power of a particular point minus a corresponding calculated back-off power for the particular point;
passing the head over a magnetic media one or more times while applying the determined operating power to the flying height actuator for each of the plurality of discrete points;
detecting a second touchdown power for each of the plurality of discrete points after passing the head over the magnetic media; and
determining whether contamination on the head exceeds a threshold amount based on the detected second touchdown power for at least one of the discrete points.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising calculating a difference between the first touchdown power and a corresponding second detected touchdown power for each of the plurality of discrete points, wherein the determining of whether contamination on the head exceeds a threshold amount is based on the calculated difference for at least one of the plurality of discrete points.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the determining of whether contamination on the head exceeds a threshold amount comprises comparing the calculated difference for the at least one of the plurality of discrete points to a threshold touchdown power.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the comparing of the calculated difference for the at least one of the plurality of discrete points with the threshold touchdown power further comprises determining whether the calculated difference for the at least one of the plurality of discrete points is greater than the threshold touchdown power.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the threshold touchdown power is about 10 mW or greater.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein passing of the head over the magnetic media comprises moving the head from the inner diameter to the outer diameter and back to the inner diameter.

Referenced Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
6013161 January 11, 2000 Chen et al.
6063248 May 16, 2000 Bourez et al.
6068891 May 30, 2000 O'Dell et al.
6086730 July 11, 2000 Liu et al.
6099981 August 8, 2000 Nishimori
6103404 August 15, 2000 Ross et al.
6117499 September 12, 2000 Wong et al.
6136403 October 24, 2000 Prabhakara et al.
6143375 November 7, 2000 Ross et al.
6145849 November 14, 2000 Bae et al.
6146737 November 14, 2000 Malhotra et al.
6149696 November 21, 2000 Jia
6150015 November 21, 2000 Bertero et al.
6156404 December 5, 2000 Ross et al.
6159076 December 12, 2000 Sun et al.
6164118 December 26, 2000 Suzuki et al.
6200441 March 13, 2001 Gornicki et al.
6204995 March 20, 2001 Hokkyo et al.
6206765 March 27, 2001 Sanders et al.
6210819 April 3, 2001 Lal et al.
6216709 April 17, 2001 Fung et al.
6221119 April 24, 2001 Homola
6248395 June 19, 2001 Homola et al.
6249393 June 19, 2001 Billings et al.
6261681 July 17, 2001 Suekane et al.
6270885 August 7, 2001 Hokkyo et al.
6274063 August 14, 2001 Li et al.
6283838 September 4, 2001 Blake et al.
6287429 September 11, 2001 Moroishi et al.
6290573 September 18, 2001 Suzuki
6299947 October 9, 2001 Suzuki et al.
6303217 October 16, 2001 Malhotra et al.
6309765 October 30, 2001 Suekane et al.
6358636 March 19, 2002 Yang et al.
6362452 March 26, 2002 Suzuki et al.
6363599 April 2, 2002 Bajorek
6365012 April 2, 2002 Sato et al.
6381090 April 30, 2002 Suzuki et al.
6381092 April 30, 2002 Suzuki
6387483 May 14, 2002 Hokkyo et al.
6391213 May 21, 2002 Homola
6395349 May 28, 2002 Salamon
6403919 June 11, 2002 Salamon
6408677 June 25, 2002 Suzuki
6411458 June 25, 2002 Billings et al.
6426157 July 30, 2002 Hokkyo et al.
6429984 August 6, 2002 Alex
6482330 November 19, 2002 Bajorek
6482505 November 19, 2002 Bertero et al.
6500567 December 31, 2002 Bertero et al.
6528124 March 4, 2003 Nguyen
6548821 April 15, 2003 Treves et al.
6552871 April 22, 2003 Suzuki et al.
6565719 May 20, 2003 Lairson et al.
6566674 May 20, 2003 Treves et al.
6571806 June 3, 2003 Rosano et al.
6628466 September 30, 2003 Alex
6664503 December 16, 2003 Hsieh et al.
6670055 December 30, 2003 Tomiyasu et al.
6682807 January 27, 2004 Lairson et al.
6683754 January 27, 2004 Suzuki et al.
6730420 May 4, 2004 Bertero et al.
6743528 June 1, 2004 Suekane et al.
6759138 July 6, 2004 Tomiyasu et al.
6778353 August 17, 2004 Harper
6795274 September 21, 2004 Hsieh et al.
6855232 February 15, 2005 Jairson et al.
6857937 February 22, 2005 Bajorek
6893748 May 17, 2005 Bertero et al.
6899959 May 31, 2005 Bertero et al.
6916558 July 12, 2005 Umezawa et al.
6939120 September 6, 2005 Harper
6946191 September 20, 2005 Morikawa et al.
6967798 November 22, 2005 Homola et al.
6972135 December 6, 2005 Homola
7004827 February 28, 2006 Suzuki et al.
7006323 February 28, 2006 Suzuki
7016154 March 21, 2006 Nishihira
7019924 March 28, 2006 McNeil et al.
7045215 May 16, 2006 Shimokawa
7070870 July 4, 2006 Bertero et al.
7088532 August 8, 2006 Krajnovich et al.
7090934 August 15, 2006 Hokkyo et al.
7095578 August 22, 2006 Ma
7099112 August 29, 2006 Harper
7105241 September 12, 2006 Shimokawa et al.
7119990 October 10, 2006 Bajorek et al.
7147790 December 12, 2006 Wachenschwanz et al.
7161753 January 9, 2007 Wachenschwanz et al.
7166319 January 23, 2007 Ishiyama
7166374 January 23, 2007 Suekane et al.
7169487 January 30, 2007 Kawai et al.
7174775 February 13, 2007 Ishiyama
7179549 February 20, 2007 Malhotra et al.
7184139 February 27, 2007 Treves et al.
7196860 March 27, 2007 Alex
7199977 April 3, 2007 Suzuki et al.
7208236 April 24, 2007 Morikawa et al.
7220500 May 22, 2007 Tomiyasu et al.
7229266 June 12, 2007 Harper
7239970 July 3, 2007 Treves et al.
7252897 August 7, 2007 Shimokawa et al.
7277254 October 2, 2007 Shimokawa et al.
7281920 October 16, 2007 Homola et al.
7292329 November 6, 2007 Treves et al.
7301726 November 27, 2007 Suzuki
7302148 November 27, 2007 Treves et al.
7305119 December 4, 2007 Treves et al.
7314404 January 1, 2008 Singh et al.
7320584 January 22, 2008 Harper et al.
7329114 February 12, 2008 Harper et al.
7375362 May 20, 2008 Treves et al.
7420886 September 2, 2008 Tomiyasu et al.
7425719 September 16, 2008 Treves et al.
7436620 October 14, 2008 Kang et al.
7471484 December 30, 2008 Wachenschwanz et al.
7489466 February 10, 2009 Knigge et al.
7498062 March 3, 2009 Calcaterra et al.
7531485 May 12, 2009 Hara et al.
7537846 May 26, 2009 Ishiyama et al.
7549209 June 23, 2009 Wachenschwanz et al.
7561367 July 14, 2009 Schreck
7569490 August 4, 2009 Staud
7597792 October 6, 2009 Homola et al.
7597973 October 6, 2009 Ishiyama
7608193 October 27, 2009 Wachenschwanz et al.
7632087 December 15, 2009 Homola
7636217 December 22, 2009 Uji et al.
7656615 February 2, 2010 Wachenschwanz et al.
7682546 March 23, 2010 Harper
7684152 March 23, 2010 Suzuki et al.
7686606 March 30, 2010 Harper et al.
7686991 March 30, 2010 Harper
7695833 April 13, 2010 Ishiyama
7722968 May 25, 2010 Ishiyama
7733605 June 8, 2010 Suzuki et al.
7736768 June 15, 2010 Ishiyama
7755861 July 13, 2010 Li et al.
7758732 July 20, 2010 Calcaterra et al.
7796356 September 14, 2010 Fowler et al.
7800858 September 21, 2010 Bajikar et al.
7826163 November 2, 2010 Harmer et al.
7833639 November 16, 2010 Sonobe et al.
7833641 November 16, 2010 Tomiyasu et al.
7910159 March 22, 2011 Jung
7911736 March 22, 2011 Bajorek
7924519 April 12, 2011 Lambert
7944165 May 17, 2011 O'Dell
7944643 May 17, 2011 Jiang et al.
7955723 June 7, 2011 Umezawa et al.
7983003 July 19, 2011 Sonobe et al.
7993497 August 9, 2011 Moroishi et al.
7993765 August 9, 2011 Kim et al.
7998912 August 16, 2011 Chen et al.
8002901 August 23, 2011 Chen et al.
8003237 August 23, 2011 Sonobe et al.
8012920 September 6, 2011 Shimokawa
8038863 October 18, 2011 Homola
8057926 November 15, 2011 Ayama et al.
8062778 November 22, 2011 Suzuki et al.
8064156 November 22, 2011 Suzuki et al.
8076013 December 13, 2011 Sonobe et al.
8085488 December 27, 2011 Feliss et al.
8092931 January 10, 2012 Ishiyama et al.
8100685 January 24, 2012 Harper et al.
8101054 January 24, 2012 Chen et al.
8125723 February 28, 2012 Nichols et al.
8125724 February 28, 2012 Nichols et al.
8137517 March 20, 2012 Bourez
8139310 March 20, 2012 Hogg
8142916 March 27, 2012 Umezawa et al.
8163093 April 24, 2012 Chen et al.
8171949 May 8, 2012 Lund et al.
8173282 May 8, 2012 Sun et al.
8178480 May 15, 2012 Hamakubo et al.
8206789 June 26, 2012 Suzuki
8218260 July 10, 2012 Iamratanakul et al.
8247095 August 21, 2012 Champion et al.
8257783 September 4, 2012 Suzuki et al.
8279550 October 2, 2012 Hogg
8298609 October 30, 2012 Liew et al.
8298689 October 30, 2012 Sonobe et al.
8309239 November 13, 2012 Umezawa et al.
8316668 November 27, 2012 Chan et al.
8331056 December 11, 2012 O'Dell
8354618 January 15, 2013 Chen et al.
8367228 February 5, 2013 Sonobe et al.
8383209 February 26, 2013 Ayama
8394243 March 12, 2013 Jung et al.
8397751 March 19, 2013 Chan et al.
8399809 March 19, 2013 Bourez
8402638 March 26, 2013 Treves et al.
8404056 March 26, 2013 Chen et al.
8404369 March 26, 2013 Ruffini et al.
8404370 March 26, 2013 Sato et al.
8406918 March 26, 2013 Tan et al.
8414966 April 9, 2013 Yasumori et al.
8425975 April 23, 2013 Ishiyama
8431257 April 30, 2013 Kim et al.
8431258 April 30, 2013 Onoue et al.
8453315 June 4, 2013 Kajiwara et al.
8488276 July 16, 2013 Jung et al.
8491800 July 23, 2013 Dorsey
8492009 July 23, 2013 Homola et al.
8492011 July 23, 2013 Itoh et al.
8496466 July 30, 2013 Treves et al.
8517364 August 27, 2013 Crumley et al.
8517657 August 27, 2013 Chen et al.
8524052 September 3, 2013 Tan et al.
8530065 September 10, 2013 Chernyshov et al.
8546000 October 1, 2013 Umezawa
8551253 October 8, 2013 Na'im et al.
8551627 October 8, 2013 Shimada et al.
8556566 October 15, 2013 Suzuki et al.
8559131 October 15, 2013 Masuda et al.
8562748 October 22, 2013 Chen et al.
8565050 October 22, 2013 Bertero et al.
8570844 October 29, 2013 Yuan et al.
8580410 November 12, 2013 Onoue
8584687 November 19, 2013 Chen et al.
8591709 November 26, 2013 Lim et al.
8592061 November 26, 2013 Onoue et al.
8596287 December 3, 2013 Chen et al.
8597723 December 3, 2013 Jung et al.
8603649 December 10, 2013 Onoue
8603650 December 10, 2013 Sonobe et al.
8605388 December 10, 2013 Yasumori et al.
8605555 December 10, 2013 Chernyshov et al.
8608147 December 17, 2013 Yap et al.
8609263 December 17, 2013 Chernyshov et al.
8619381 December 31, 2013 Moser et al.
8623528 January 7, 2014 Umezawa et al.
8623529 January 7, 2014 Suzuki
8634155 January 21, 2014 Yasumori et al.
8658003 February 25, 2014 Bourez
8658292 February 25, 2014 Mallary et al.
8665541 March 4, 2014 Saito
8665546 March 4, 2014 Zhao et al.
8668953 March 11, 2014 Buechel-Rimmel
8674327 March 18, 2014 Poon et al.
8685214 April 1, 2014 Moh et al.
8696404 April 15, 2014 Sun et al.
8711499 April 29, 2014 Desai et al.
8743666 June 3, 2014 Bertero et al.
8758912 June 24, 2014 Srinivasan et al.
8787124 July 22, 2014 Chernyshov et al.
8787130 July 22, 2014 Yuan et al.
8791391 July 29, 2014 Bourez
8795765 August 5, 2014 Koike et al.
8795790 August 5, 2014 Sonobe et al.
8795857 August 5, 2014 Ayama et al.
8800322 August 12, 2014 Chan et al.
8811129 August 19, 2014 Yuan et al.
8817410 August 26, 2014 Moser et al.
20020060883 May 23, 2002 Suzuki
20030022024 January 30, 2003 Wachenschwanz
20040022387 February 5, 2004 Weikle
20040132301 July 8, 2004 Harper et al.
20040202793 October 14, 2004 Harper et al.
20040202865 October 14, 2004 Homola et al.
20040209123 October 21, 2004 Bajorek et al.
20040209470 October 21, 2004 Bajorek
20050036223 February 17, 2005 Wachenschwanz et al.
20050142990 June 30, 2005 Homola
20050150862 July 14, 2005 Harper et al.
20050151282 July 14, 2005 Harper et al.
20050151283 July 14, 2005 Bajorek et al.
20050151300 July 14, 2005 Harper et al.
20050155554 July 21, 2005 Saito
20050167867 August 4, 2005 Bajorek et al.
20050263401 December 1, 2005 Olsen et al.
20060147758 July 6, 2006 Jung et al.
20060181697 August 17, 2006 Treves et al.
20060207890 September 21, 2006 Staud
20070062561 March 22, 2007 Koch et al.
20070070549 March 29, 2007 Suzuki et al.
20070245909 October 25, 2007 Homola
20070291401 December 20, 2007 Sun et al.
20080075845 March 27, 2008 Sonobe et al.
20080093760 April 24, 2008 Harper et al.
20090117408 May 7, 2009 Umezawa et al.
20090136784 May 28, 2009 Suzuki et al.
20090169922 July 2, 2009 Ishiyama
20090191331 July 30, 2009 Umezawa et al.
20090202866 August 13, 2009 Kim et al.
20090311557 December 17, 2009 Onoue et al.
20100143752 June 10, 2010 Ishibashi et al.
20100190035 July 29, 2010 Sonobe et al.
20100196619 August 5, 2010 Ishiyama
20100196740 August 5, 2010 Ayama et al.
20100209601 August 19, 2010 Shimokawa et al.
20100215992 August 26, 2010 Horikawa et al.
20100232065 September 16, 2010 Suzuki et al.
20100247965 September 30, 2010 Onoue
20100261039 October 14, 2010 Itoh et al.
20100279151 November 4, 2010 Sakamoto et al.
20100300884 December 2, 2010 Homola et al.
20100304186 December 2, 2010 Shimokawa
20110097603 April 28, 2011 Onoue
20110097604 April 28, 2011 Onoue
20110171495 July 14, 2011 Tachibana et al.
20110206947 August 25, 2011 Tachibana et al.
20110212346 September 1, 2011 Onoue et al.
20110223446 September 15, 2011 Onoue et al.
20110244119 October 6, 2011 Umezawa et al.
20110299194 December 8, 2011 Aniya et al.
20110311841 December 22, 2011 Saito et al.
20120069466 March 22, 2012 Okamoto et al.
20120070692 March 22, 2012 Sato et al.
20120077060 March 29, 2012 Ozawa
20120127599 May 24, 2012 Shimokawa et al.
20120127601 May 24, 2012 Suzuki et al.
20120129009 May 24, 2012 Sato et al.
20120140359 June 7, 2012 Tachibana
20120141833 June 7, 2012 Umezawa et al.
20120141835 June 7, 2012 Sakamoto
20120148875 June 14, 2012 Hamakubo et al.
20120156523 June 21, 2012 Seki et al.
20120164488 June 28, 2012 Shin et al.
20120170152 July 5, 2012 Sonobe et al.
20120171369 July 5, 2012 Koike et al.
20120175243 July 12, 2012 Fukuura et al.
20120189872 July 26, 2012 Umezawa et al.
20120196049 August 2, 2012 Azuma et al.
20120207919 August 16, 2012 Sakamoto et al.
20120225217 September 6, 2012 Itoh et al.
20120251842 October 4, 2012 Yuan et al.
20120251846 October 4, 2012 Desai et al.
20120276417 November 1, 2012 Shimokawa et al.
20120308722 December 6, 2012 Suzuki et al.
20130040167 February 14, 2013 Alagarsamy et al.
20130071694 March 21, 2013 Srinivasan et al.
20130165029 June 27, 2013 Sun et al.
20130175252 July 11, 2013 Bourez
20130216865 August 22, 2013 Yasumori et al.
20130230647 September 5, 2013 Onoue et al.
20130314815 November 28, 2013 Yuan et al.
20140011054 January 9, 2014 Suzuki
20140044992 February 13, 2014 Onoue
20140050843 February 20, 2014 Yi et al.
20140151360 June 5, 2014 Gregory et al.
20140234666 August 21, 2014 Knigge et al.
Patent History
Patent number: 8995078
Type: Grant
Filed: Sep 25, 2014
Date of Patent: Mar 31, 2015
Assignee: WD Media, LLC (San Jose, CA)
Inventors: Hengky Setuwanto (Fremont, CA), Thien Seng Lee (Bayan Lepas), Lingpin Ee (Singapore)
Primary Examiner: Wayne Young
Assistant Examiner: James L. Habermehl
Application Number: 14/497,166
Classifications
Current U.S. Class: General Recording Or Reproducing (360/55); Controlling The Head (360/75)
International Classification: G11B 5/41 (20060101); G11B 5/455 (20060101); G11B 21/12 (20060101); G11B 5/60 (20060101);